DOHA: The cabinet today took necessary measures to issue a law regulating tenders, after examining the recommendation of the Advisory Council about the draft law.
The Prime Minister and Interior Minister, HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani chaired the cabinet's regular meeting and reviewed topics on the agenda of the meeting, including the draft law on regulating tenders issued by government entities.
Following the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, HE Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud made a statement in which he detailed the outcome of the meeting.
The bill stipulates that provisions of the tenders and auctions law are applicable to ministries, government bodies and general authorities and institutions.
The armed forces, police, state security authority and other military bodies are excluded from the application of the law in relation to secret contracts, for which an Emiri decision is issued to regulate their tenders and deals. The bill also doesn't apply to Qatar Petroleum as well as entities that the cabinet exclude based on a proposal from the minister of finance.
The cabinet can issue a decision based on a proposal from the minister of finance to apply provisions of the law to entities whose budgets are funded or supervised by the state.
The tenders draft law included provisions related to ways of contracting, submitting and evaluating bids and insurance, concluding and implementing contracts, and tenders. According to the provisions of the bill, one or more government committee is to be established to run tenders, auctions, competitions and direct agreements. The committee is to comprise no less than five and no more than seven government employees including its chairman and deputy. A representative from the State Audit Bureau as well as the department concerned with organizing the tenders and auctions must attend the meetings of the committee as observers.
In addition, the meeting ratified a cabinet draft decision to issue the executive regulations for the tenders and auctions law. The bill stipulates that the executive regulations of the tenders and auctions law are to be applicable and that the decision is enforced starting from the following day to its publishing in the official gazette.
The executive regulations featured detailed provisions related to preliminary procedures for bidding as well as the powers of the tenders and auctions committee at the government entity and its system of work, the temporary insurance to be paid along with each bid, the final insurance, procedures of bidding, opening envelopes, technical evaluation, deciding on tenders, framework contracts, two-stage tendering, restricted tendering, qualifying companies, practice, competition, direct agreement, contract signing and execution, sale of items, renting of real estate and movables, classification of contractors and evaluating their performance.
The cabinet ratified the reconciliation law in crimes states in some environment laws. According to the provisions of the law, concerned departments at the Ministry of Environment can reconcile in crimes states in environment legislations before a final verdict is given provided that the crime's punishment was a fine or jail and fine as long as there is a choice between the two sentences. Reconciliation is not allowed in crimes punishable by a mandatory jail sentence.
Reconciliation is agreed in exchange for paying a sum equal to a quarter of the fine's specified maximum within seven days of the violation's date. Half the fine's specified maximum is to be paid if reconciliation is agreed after seven days, reports QNA.
Meanwhile, the cabinet ratified a draft decision by the minister of transport obliging ships and floating facilities to install Automatic Identification System (AIS) and VHF set. According to the draft decision, AIS is an automatic tracking system that identifies ships and floating facilities and VHF system is a high frequency radio that operates within the system of marine rescue, safety and emergency. The decision applies to ships and floating facilities that are licensed to be present and operate in territorial waters. Qatari ships and floating facilities are required to fix and operate the two systems before concluding their registration process.
The cabinet also ratified a draft decision by the minister of environment to endorse a Gulf technical regulation as Qatari. The regulation, intended for toys and issued by the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO), aims to clarify basic requirements that must be available in toys whether produced domestically or imported to any GSO member state. Free trading in these items is allowed without any obstacles at customs ports unless there are other reasons that prevent it.
The Peninsula
